Human placental tissue has been used in various surgical procedures, including skin transplantation and ocular surface disorders, for over a century. The tissue has been shown to provide good wound protection, prevent surgical adhesions, reduce pain, reduce wound dehydration, and provide anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial effects.
The placenta is a fetomaternal organ consisting of a placental globe, umbilical cord, associated membranes (chorion membrane layer and amnion membrane layer), other gelatins, fluids, cells and extracellular material. The chorion membrane layer and the amnion membrane layer are attached by loose connective tissue and make up the placental sac. The innermost membrane of the placental sac is the amnion membrane layer, which comes into contact with the amniotic fluid that surrounds the fetus. The amnion membrane layer is avascular and lined by simple columnar epithelium overlying a basal membrane. The chorion membrane layer is the outermost layer of the sac and is heavily cellularized. The placental membranes have an abundant source of collagen that provides an extracellular matrix to act as a natural scaffold for cellular attachment in the body. Collagen provides a structural tissue matrix that facilitates, among other things, cell migration and proliferation in vivo.